Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02467617 2012-02-10
AMENDED DISCLOSURE
A MULTI-FUNCTION COFFEE MAKER AND USE THEREOF
Technical Field
This invention relates to a multi-function coffee maker, which can be used to
make espresso coffee
or drip coffee or tea in the same machine.
Background of the Invention
Brewing drip coffee requires 0 - 2.5 bar water, while brewing espresso coffee
requires 8 - 10 bar
water. The brewing requirement for tea is similar to that for drip coffee. The
existing coffee
machine such as a coffee maker or a coffee centre can be used to make either
drip coffee or espresso
coffee, but can not be used to make both of drip coffee and espresso coffee in
the same machine.
Summary of the Invention
The main object of the present invention is to provide a multi-function coffee
maker which can be
used to make espresso coffee or drip coffee or tea in the same machine.
By a broad aspect of this invention a multi-function coffee maker is provided
comprising: a casing, a
cover assembly with a brewing room inside, a water reservoir, a water pump, an
electric heater, a
water distributor assembly, a control valve assembly, a base assembly, a
control circuit and brewing
accessories; wherein said brewing accessories at least include an espresso
coffee brewing accessory
and a drip coffee brewing accessory, which are interchangeable and each can be
loaded within said
brewing room of said cover assembly to form an individual brewing chamber;
wherein said water
reservoir, water pump, water distributor assembly, control valve assembly and
brewing chamber
construct a water loop of said coffee maker, two kinds of water flow of
different pressures may be
generated within said water loop, one kind of water flow is of about 0 BAR to
about 2.5 BAR for
brewing drip coffee, the other kind of water flow is of about 8 BAR to about
10 BAR for brewing
espresso coffee; wherein said
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control circuit comprises a control chip, and connected with said control chip
are a sampling circuit
for thermal sensors, a control circuit for said water pump, a control circuit
for said electric heater
and a detection circuit for the brewing accessory; wherein said detection
circuit for the brewing
accessory includes a plurality of proximity switch assemblies, each proximity
switch assembly
includes a magnetic element installed on one of said brewing accessories and a
magnetic field sensor
installed on said brewing room, so that, when said brewing accessory is loaded
into said brewing
room, said control chip will obtain a signal to detect and distinguish the
brewing accessory in use;
and wherein brewing control program is set within said control chip, said
brewing control program
contains working modes including at least espresso coffee brewing mode and
drip coffee brewing
mode; by said water distributor assembly and said control circuit, water flow
of suitable pressure is
provided into said brewing chamber and the brewing accessory in use is
detected automatically so as
to initiate a corresponding work mode.
By one variant of this invention the water flow is about 0 BAR to about 2.5
BAR for brewing drip
coffee.
By another variant of this invention, the water flow is of about 8 BAR to
about 10 BAR for brewing
espresso coffee.
Other variants of this invention include a multi-function coffee maker wherein
the brewing
accessories further include a tea brewing accessory, and the brewing control
program within the
control chip further contains a tea brewing mode, the water flow of about 0-
2.5 BAR is also for
brewing tea. By a variation thereof the tea brewing accessory has two magnets
installed hereon.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the cover assembly is constructed by an
upper cover and a
lower chamber joined together by an open-closed mechanism; and, wherein, when
the cover
assembly is opened, the brewing room inside is exposed.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the brewing room may be fixed or
replaceable, which can
accommodate coffee capsules of various shapes or specifications, coffee pods
of various shapes or
specifications, coffee powder of various amount or specifications, or tea pods
of various shapes or
specifications.
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A multi-function coffee maker wherein the water distributor assembly is
working in combination
with the control valve assembly; and wherein the control valve assembly is
constructed by a T
connecting valve and a guided control valve; with the T -connecting valve,
only one water pump is
used for two water loops of different pressures.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the T -connecting valve comprises a
valve body, a relief
spring, a valve shaft and a rubber plug, and wherein the relief spring is
mounted on the valve shaft,
the O-shaped ring is installed above the rubber plug, so as to form a relief
valve.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the brewing room includes a drip water
inlet and an espresso
water inlet; water from the water reservoir is pumped by the pump, heated by
the electric heater,
then distributed by the T -connecting valve, guided controlled valve and the
water distributor, finally
enters the brewing room through drip water inlet or espresso water inlet for
brewing coffee.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein, in the guided control valve, espresso
coffee control lever
and drip coffee control lever are installed in parallel in the guided control
valve body; when the
espresso coffee brewing accessory is loaded and the upper brewing chamber is
locked, the drip
coffee control lever is pressed down, a first channel is opened by the guided
control valve and a
second channel is closed; and when the drip coffee brewing accessory is loaded
and the upper
brewing chamber is locked, the espresso coffee control lever is pressed down,
the second channel is
opened by the guided control valve and the first channel is closed.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein an O-shaped ring and a reset spring are
installed under both
of the espresso coffee control lever and the drip coffee control lever.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein an espresso coffee brewing accessory is
loaded within the
brewing room which includes an espresso coffee capsule connected with the
espresso water inlet, a
filter plate installed under the coffee capsule, a small pod cover and a
pressure limiting check valve.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein a drip coffee brewing accessory is
loaded within the brewing
room which includes a drip coffee capsule
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CA 02467617 2012-02-10
connected with the drip coffee inlet, a big pod seat, a big pod intermediate
seat installed under the
big pod seat, a big pod elastic compression seat under said drip coffee
capsule, and a big pod spring
installed at the bottom of the big pod elastic compression seat.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the water distributor assembly and the
control valve
assembly are working separately; and wherein the control valve assembly is
constructed by a T
connecting valve.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the brewing room further includes a
pressure hold valve,
when it is mounted, the pressure inside the brewing chamber is maintained at
about 8 BAR to about
10 BAR; and when it is not mounted, the pressure inside the brewing chamber is
at about 0 BAR to
about 2.5 BAR.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein, a water injection port is installed at
the back of the water
reservoir, which may be used as a handle as well.
A multi-function coffee maker wherein the drip coffee brewing accessory has
one magnet installed
thereon, and the espresso coffee brewing accessory has one magnet installed
thereon.
With the above mentioned technical scheme adopted, drip coffee, or espresso
coffee, hot tea or ice
tea may be brewed in the same coffee machine by using different kinds of
brewing accessories,
coffee capsules, coffee pods, coffee powder or tea pods. The present invention
is a significant
innovation to the mono-function coffee makers existing in the market.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. la is a front perspective view of the multi-function coffee maker
according to the present
invention;
Fig. lb is a back perspective view of the multi-function coffee maker
according to the present
invention;
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Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the open-close mechanism of the cover
assembly of the multi-
function coffee maker according to the present invention;
Fig. 3a is a schematic view showing the working principle when the water
distributor assembly is
working in combination with the control valve assembly;
Fig. 3b is a schematic view showing the working principle when the water
distributor assembly and
the control valve assembly are working separately;
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Fig. 4a is a schematic view showing the brewing room suitable for
accommodating the
coffee capsule with the cover assembly closed;
Fig. 4b is a schematic view showing the brewing room suitable for
accommodating the
coffee capsule with the cover assembly opened;
Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the brewing chamber with an espresso coffee
capsule loaded
according to the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the brewing chamber with a drip coffee capsule
loaded
according to the present invention;
Fig. 7a is a schematic view of the brewing chamber with an espresso coffee pod
or
espresso coffee powder loaded according to the present invention;
Fig. 7b is a schematic view of the brewing chamber with a drip coffee pod,
drip coffee
powder or a tea pod loaded according to the present invention;
Fig. 7c is a sectional view of Fig. 7a or Fig. 7b along K-K line;
Fig. 7d is a sectional view of Fig. 7a or Fig. 7b along K-K line with the
piston in the
compression position.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
The present invention will be described in details in combination with the
accompanying
drawings and embodiments.
As shown in Fig. I a and 1 b, the coffee maker according to the present
invention comprises
a casing 500, a cover assembly 100 with a brewing room inside, a water
reservoir 600, a
water pump, an electric heater, a water distributor assembly 900, a control
valve assembly,
a base assembly 800 and a drip tray 700.
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Said coffee maker further comprises more than one brewing accessory, which may
be
either an espresso coffee brewing accessory, a drip coffee brewing accessory
or a tea
brewing accessory. Said brewing accessories are interchangeable and can be
loaded within
said brewing room of said cover assembly to form an individual brewing
chamber.
As shown in Fig.2, said cover assembly 100 is constructed by an upper cover
and a lower
chamber joined together by an open-closed mechanism. Said open-close mechanism
includes a rotary knob 50, a latch 51, a lock seat 52 and a hinge axle 53. By
rotary knob 50,
the latch 51 leaves away from the lock seat 52. By rotating the upper cover
around the
hinge axle 53, the cover assembly 100 is opened, and the brewing room inside
is exposed.
Load the brewing accessory inside the brewing room, close the cover assembly
100, then
the latch 51 returns to the lock seat 52 automatically under the effect of the
spring force,
thus the brewing chamber is formed.
Said brewing room may be fixed or replaceable, which can accommodate coffee
capsules
of various shapes or specifications, coffee pods of various shapes or
specifications, coffee
powder of various amount or specifications, or tea pods of various shapes or
specifications.
Said coffee pods or coffee capsules may be used to brew drip coffee or
espresso coffee.
Said coffee powder may be used to brew drip coffee or espresso coffee.
Said tea pods may be used to brew hot tea or ice tea.
Said water reservoir assembly 600, water pump, water distributor assembly 900,
control
valve assembly and brewing chamber construct the water loop of said coffee
maker, and
water flow of different pressures may be generated within said water loop.
Thereby, water
flow of suitable pressure is provided into said brewing chamber according to
the brewing
requirements.
Preferably, two kinds of water flow of different pressures can be generated
within said
water loop, one kind of water flow is of 0 - 2.5 BAR for brewing drip coffee
or tea, the
other kind of water flow is of 8 - 10 BAR for brewing espresso coffee.
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Fig. 3a is a schematic view showing the working principle when the water
distributor
assembly is working in combination with the control valve assembly. It is
suitable for
brewing coffee with coffee capsules.
Said control valve assembly is constructed by a T-connecting valve and a
guided control
valve. With said T-connecting valve, only one water pump is used for two water
loops of
different pressures. Said water loops of two different pressures are opened
respectively to
the brewing chamber loaded with either drip coffee brewing accessory, or
espresso coffee
brewing accessory or tea brewing accessory. Thereby, two different kinds of
working
modes are provided.
Alternatively, separate pumps may be used in the water loop.
The T-connecting valve comprises a valve body 20, a relief spring 21, a valve
shaft 22 and
a rubber plug 24, wherein, the relief spring 21 is mounted on the valve shaft
22, the
O-shaped ring 23 is installed above the rubber plug 24, so as to form a relief
valve.
In said guided control valve, espresso coffee control lever 25 and drip coffee
control lever
26 are installed in parallel in the guided control valve body 27. An O-shaped
ring 28 and a
reset spring 29 are installed under both of the espresso coffee control lever
25 and the drip
coffee control lever 26.
When the espresso coffee brewing accessory is loaded, the espresso coffee
control lever 25
is pushed down, the drip coffee control lever 26 remains at the original
position, i.e.,
channel A is opened, channel B is closed. Rotate the control knob 30 to a
certain working
mode to actuate the pump, the water heated by the electric heater enters the T-
connecting
valve, then the guided control valve, and finally outflows through channel A,
thus, 6 -10
BAR is obtained inside the brewing chamber for brewing espresso coffee. When
the drip
coffee brewing accessory is loaded, the drip coffee control lever 26 is pushed
down, the
espresso coffee control lever 25 remains at the original position under the
effect of the reset
spring 28, i.e., channel A is closed, channel B is opened. To overcome the
elastic force of
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the relief spring 21 of the T-connecting valve, the water pressure in the loop
is reduced by
7 - 8 BAR. Water flow entering the guided control valve outflows through
channel B, thus,
0 -2.5 BAR is obtained inside the brewing chamber for brewing drip coffee or
tea.
Said water distributor assembly 900 consists of control knob 30, water
distributor 33,
distributor cover 32, distributor lever 31, sealed ring 35, reset spring 34,
etc. By rotating
the control knob 30 to compress or release the distributor lever 31, water
loop is opened or
disconnected, thus, the water loop with one inlet and two outlets is formed.
The control
principle is similar to that of said guided control valve.
Fig. 3b is a schematic view showing the working principle when the water
distributor
assembly and the control valve assembly are working separately. It is suitable
for brewing
coffee or tea with coffee pods, coffee powder, or tea pods.
By rotating the control knob 30 to a certain working mode to open channel C
and
simultaneously actuate the pump, water heated by the electric heater enters
the
T-connecting valve, then the water distributor, finally outflows through
channel C to enter
the brewing chamber. After brewing, by rotating the control knob 30 to a
certain working
mode to open channel E, water from the brewing chamber enters the T-connecting
valve
through the water-feeding opening D. Water flow through the water-feeding
opening D
opens the relief valve, enters the water distributor, then outflows through
channel E, and is
collected by the drip tray.
Said water distributor assembly and control valve assembly can be used in
combination or
separately. When they are working in combination, three kinds of working modes
can be
provided such as close, low pressure and high pressure. When they are working
separately,
in combination with the brewing accessory and the pressure hold valve, two
kinds of
working modes can be provided such as low pressure and high pressure
As shown in Fig. 4a and 4b, the brewing room is suitable for accommodating the
coffee
capsule. Said brewing room includes a drip water inlet and an espresso water
inlet. Water
from the water reservoir is pumped by the pump, heated by the electric heater,
then
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distributed by the T-connecting valve, guided controlled valve and the water
distributor,
finally enters the brewing room through drip water inlet or espresso water
inlet for brewing
coffee.
As shown in Fig.5, an espresso coffee brewing accessory is loaded which
includes an
espresso coffee capsule 3 connected with the espresso water inlet 2, a filter
plate 6 installed
under the coffee capsule 3, a small pod cover I and a pressure limiting check
valve
consisting of a small pod seat 5, a discharge plug 8 with a spring 9 thereon
and a discharge
plug cover 10. Said water discharge plug 8 is installed under said filter
plate 6, said plug
cover 10 is installed at the water outlet, and a small pod sealing ring 7 is
installed at the
contact point between said filter plate 6 and said small pod seat 5. The
guided control valve
11 is installed under the lower brewing chamber 13, and the small pod cover 1
is installed
under the upper brewing chamber 4.
After the upper brewing chamber 4 is locked, the drip coffee control lever 25
is pressed
down by the small pod seat 5. Then, channel A is opened by the guided control
valve and
channel B is closed. By rotating the control knob 30 to a certain working mode
to actuate
the pump, water heated by the electric heater enters the brewing chamber via
the espresso
water inlet and espresso coffee is made. Said pressure limiting check valve
keeps the
pressure within the brewing chamber at the range of 8 - 10 BAR when brewing
espresso
coffee.
As shown in Fig. 6, a drip coffee brewing accessory is loaded which includes a
drip coffee
capsule 17 connected with the drip coffee inlet 14, a big pod seat 15
installed under the
upper brewing chamber 4, a big pod intermediate seat 16 installed under said
big pod seat
15, a big pod elastic compression seat 18 under said drip coffee capsule 17,
and a big pod
spring 19 installed at the bottom of said big pod elastic compression seat 18.
After the upper brewing chamber 4 is locked, the drip coffee control lever 26
is pressed
down by the big pod seat 15. Then, channel B is opened by the guided control
valve and
channel A is closed. By rotating the control knob 30 to a certain working mode
to actuate
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the pump, water heated by the electric heater enters the brewing chamber via
the drip water
inlet and drip coffee is made.
Fig. 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d show the brewing room suitable for accommodating a
coffee pod or
coffee powder or a tea pod. Said brewing room includes a water inlet 40, a
piston 48, a
water inlet plug 43 installed under said water inlet 40 and within the inner
hole of said
piston 48, a guided shaft 45 with a guided shaft spring 46 mounted thereon,
and a V-ring
47 mounted on said piston 48; said piston 48 can move up and down by
compressing said
guided shaft spring 46 along said guided shaft 45. Water from the pump is
heated by the
electric heater, and distributed by the water distributor and the T-connecting
valve, finally,
enters the brewing chamber via the water inlet 40 for brewing coffee.
A pressure hold valve 39 is also provided, when it is mounted, the pressure
inside the
brewing chamber is maintained at 8 - 10 BAR, which is suitable for brewing
espresso
coffee. When it is not mounted, the pressure inside the brewing chamber is at
0 - 2.5 BAR,
which is suitable for brewing drip coffee or tea.
Fig.7a, 7c, 7d shows the brewing chamber when an espresso coffee brewing
accessory is
loaded, which includes espresso coffee pod or espresso coffee powder 37,
filter plate 38
and pressure hold valve 39.
Fig. 7b, 7c, 7d shows the brewing chamber when a drip coffee brewing accessory
is loaded,
which includes a filter plate 38, drip coffee pod or drip coffee powder 41.
After loading the brewing accessory, close the cover assembly 100, rotate the
control knob
to open channel C and actuate the pump. Water from the water reservoir 600
enters the
T-connecting valve through the pump, and outflows through channel C of the
water
distributor 900. Then, water enters the piston 48 from the periphery of the
water inlet plug
43 via the water inlet 40. The piston 48 moves downwards to the brewing
accessory by
30 compressing the guided shaft spring 46 along the guided shaft 45, and thus,
with the aid of
an O-shaped ring 49, a tightly sealed brewing chamber is formed. When the
piston 48
reaches the compression position, the inlet plug 43 is blocked by the piston
head 44 and
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will not move downwards along with the piston 48. Then, the inlet plug 43 and
the piston
48 is no longer in the sealing status, water enters the brewing accessory
through the inner
hole of the piston 48, and thus, the espresso coffee, drip coffee or tea is
made. After
brewing, rotate the control knob 30 to shut off the pump, to open channel E
and the relief
water loop. The piston 48 moves upwards along the guided shaft 45 under effect
of the
spring 46, then the water plug 43 and the piston 48 are in the sealing status,
the water
within the piston 48 is forced to return to the T-connecting valve along the
water-feeding
opening D, enters the water distributor 900 via the water discharge channel E,
and outflows
into the drip tray. After that, the cover assembly 100 can be opened, the
brewing accessory
can be taken out, and thus the brewing is completed.
Said water reservoir assembly 600 may be replaceable or fixed. A water
injection port 300
is installed at the back of the water reservoir, which may be used as a handle
as well. Cold
water may be filled by opening the water reservoir cover, or through the water
injection
port without opening the water reservoir cover.
Said drip tray assembly 700 is located below the brewed coffee outlet and is
detachably
connected with the base assembly 800, so as to be easy for detachment and
clean.
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